Dixie Forum to host lecture on climate change and thermal stress

By Jullianna Franco

Discussing the effects of rapid climate change on marine organisms, Dr. Bengt J. Allen will present at the next installment of Dixie State University’s weekly lecture series Dixie Forum: A Window on the World.

Allen, an associate professor of biological sciences at California State University, Long Beach, will present “Ecological Consequences of Increasing Thermal Stress on Rocky Shores: Insights from a Model Ecosystem” at noon on Feb. 26 in the Dunford Auditorium of the Browning Resource Center on the Dixie State campus. Admission is free, and the public is encouraged to attend.

During his Dixie Forum lecture, Allen will provide an overview of the consequences that increased thermal stress — stress created by the change in temperature — has on rocky shores. Allen based his research in the marine rocky intertidal zone, examining organisms’ responses to physiological stress. His research seeks to understand the mechanistic basis and complex ecological consequences of temperature and desiccation stress to marine intertidal organisms, particularly in the context of rapid climate change.

Allen earned a doctorate in ecology and evolution from Stony Brook University, a master’s from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s from Pomona College. Allen, who works with students to investigate links between local environmental conditions and individual survival, growth and reproduction, has conducted research that has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the California Sea Grant.

Dixie Forum is a weekly lecture series designed to introduce the St. George and Dixie State communities to diverse ideas and personalities while widening their worldviews via 50-minute presentations. At the next Dixie Forum, Dr. Lincoln Nadauld, director of cancer genomics for Intermountain Healthcare, and three Dixie State students will present on their involvement in the Stanford University Undergraduate Summer Research Program. The lecture is set to take place at noon on March 5 in the Dunford Auditorium.